Not a waste of time
by Dullahan Collins
Summary: Marceline travels to the 'real world' just to see her angel friend again, and gets into a heap of trouble.


A black-haired girl, Marceline, was on her way to find Finn the human boy.  
She was planning something that was seemingly harmless.

"Hey, Finn, what's up?" She said as she approached a human boy and his dog.  
"Oh, hey, Marceline." Finn greeted her.  
The dog didn't look happy.  
"What brings you here?" Finn asked.  
"I need some of your blood." She smiled.  
"Why?" He blinked.  
"I am summoning someone."  
"Not cool, Marceline, don't go there." Jake said.  
"Like that time we summoned your dad?"  
"Sort of. So can I have some blood?"  
"Er... yeah, I guess. Wait, who are you summoning?"  
"An angel." She replied with a poker face.  
Finn shrugged, "Nothing bad can come from an angel, right?"  
"I don't know, man," Jake whispered.  
"Sure, I'll help you out." Finn said.  
"Great! Let's go to my place."

They arrived at Marceline's house, and walked in to see the ingredients she had gathered.

"What is all this?" Jake asked, slightly alarmed.  
"Myrrh and holy water." Marceline shrugged.  
"You can use holy water?" Finn asked.  
"Yeah, of course."

Jake pulled Finn aside.

"What's the matter, Jake?" Finn asked.  
"Are you sure about this? She comes to us asking for blood to 'summon an angel',  
and you just say, 'sure, why not?'?!"  
"Angels are good, dude. Like I said, nothing bad can come from them."  
"What if she's lying, though?" He hissed.

They glanced at Marceline, who was putting the ingredients into a bowl.

"Why would she lie to us?" Finn asked.  
"It wouldn't be the first time!"  
"Whatever, you worry too much." He walked back over to Marceline.

"Ready?" She asked.  
He nodded, "Is this going to hurt?"  
"Not much. Hold out your hand."

She sliced his finger with a kitchen knife.

"Okay, you can leave now." She said.  
"What? We want to see the angel!" Finn said.  
"Nah, I think she's right, Finn buddy. We should go." Jake said, grabbing his arm.  
"Aw, okay. Tell us how it goes!"

The two left.

* * *

Marceline drew a symbol on the floor with chalk, and placed the bowl on it.

She looked at a notebook, which had a strange language written on it.  
"This had better work." She murmured.

She repeated the chant, tripping over her words.

After she finished, she glanced around.

She let out a sigh, and then stood up.

"Hello, vampire." A man with a thick accent said.  
She spun around to face him.  
"Balthazar. You showed." She smiled.  
"You summoned me, love." He half smiled.  
"By the way, is there a reason you summoned me? Because, you know,  
I have things that actually matter to attend to in my reality." He said rather sarcastically.  
"Take me with you, then."  
He frowned, "What?"  
"I want to go to your reality."  
"Why on earth would you want to do that?"  
"I have my reasons."  
"And I have my reasons not to take you."  
"Please?"  
"Why should I? What's in it for me?"  
"I, uh... what do you want?"  
"You have nothing that interests me."  
"Come on, jerk! Just take me! Please!"  
"My, my. What is your reasoning for going?"

Marceline sighed.  
"I want to see Castiel, alright?"  
Balthazar smirked, "Oh, really, now? How did I know that?"  
She frowned, "Then why did you ask?"  
"Because I wanted to see the look on your face. But, tell me. If you want to see him,  
why not just summon him instead of me?"  
"Because I wanted to see your reality... plus, I wasn't sure if he would come."  
"Yet, you were sure I would?"  
"No. But you're here, aren't you?"

He let laughed.

"What?" Marceline asked.  
"I like you. You've got character."  
He paused.  
"Alright, I'll take you to see Cas."  
"Really? Just like that?"  
"Just like that."

He took a step closer to her, and pressed his index and middle fingers against her forehead.

* * *

When Marceline opened her eyes, she was lying down.  
The ground was hard and cold, and it was raining.

She grunted, and started to get up.

This place was strange.

She looked around to find that Balthazar was nowhere in sight.

"Balthazar?" She called out like a lost child.  
"You called?" Balthazar was standing behind her.  
She jumped, "Don't do that!" She hissed.  
"So what do you think?"  
She blinked, "Of?"  
He shrugged and smiled, "My 'reality'."

She looked around.  
"It's different."  
He made a face, "That's one way to put it."

Marceline dusted herself off.  
"What's this place called?" She asked.  
"Uhh, Nebraska."  
"Does everything here have a weird name?"  
"For the most part."  
"This is all really cool and stuff, but I did come to see Cas."  
Balthazar smiled, "I remember."  
"So, where is he?" She asked, becoming impatient.  
"In town."  
"And how am I supposed to find him?"  
He shrugged, "I suppose you can look for him."  
"Oh, glob. You are a jerk."  
"What, did you think angels were all nice and cuddly?"  
"I'm still not convinced that you are an angel." She crossed her arms.  
"Believe what you want, it makes no difference to me. Have fun looking for lover boy~"  
He waved.  
"Wait!"  
"Oh, by the way, I will probably pop up at some completely random time to take you back to your reality."  
She looked disgusted.  
"Tata!"

With that, he vanished.

She dropped her arms to her sides.  
This Nebraska place looked pretty big.

She had no idea where to start looking.

She tried to float, only to realize that she was unable.  
"Walking it is." She murmured.

* * *

As she walked, many people gave her strange looks.  
She ignored them all.

She noticed someone who caught her eye;  
He was one of the men that Castiel had brought to her reality.

What was his name?

She snapped, "Oh, yeah!"  
"Gene!" She called out.  
The man didn't respond.

She cocked her head.

He got into a black car.  
She watched as the vehicle roared to life, and then decided to follow it.

Soon the car pulled in at a sleazy hotel.

The man got out of his car, and went to one of the rooms.

Marceline waited a few minutes, and then headed to the room.

"So what did you find out?" Sam asked, sitting at the table.  
"Not much. We don't really have anything to go by." Dean replied.  
"What do we do, now?" Castiel asked.

Dean started to reply, when there was a knock at the door.

The three exchanged glances.

Dean walked over to the door, and looked through the peephole.  
He frowned, "What the-"  
"What? Who is it?" Sam asked.

Dean opened the door to reveal a pale-skinned girl.  
She was soaked to the bone;  
Her clothes clung to her body just as her hair clung to her face.

"Hey there, Gene," She smiled, "Sam." She looked at the tall man.  
"Dean. It's Dean."  
"Cas!" She ran over to him, and threw her arms around him.

Castiel looked confused.  
He gently pushed her back, and tilted his head.  
"Marceline? How did you get here?"  
"Nice to see you, too." She said sarcastically.  
"I am happy to see you. But... how did you get here?"  
"Your friend, Balthazar, brought me here. He's pretty cool."

Dean crossed his arms, "Why are you here?"  
"Cool it, tough guy, I'm here to see Cas."  
Castiel smiled weakly, "You got Balthazar to bring you here because of me?"  
"Uh, duh. It's been a while, y'know?"  
"How long did he give you here?" Sam asked.  
"Didn't say."  
"Well, you can't stay. We're pretty busy." Dean said.  
"Busy with what?"  
"We're on a job." Sam replied.  
"Oh, yeah. You 'hunt bad things', don't you?"

Sam and Dean looked at Castiel.  
"What else did you tell her, Cas?" Dean asked, becoming irritated.  
"I, uh... I just told her how you two hunted things like her."  
"Exactly. We gank things like her."  
"Dean," Sam started.  
"I could hang around, then. Maybe even help you."  
"How the hell could you possibly help us?" He spat.  
"Dean, please. Just let her stay for a while." Castiel stared at him.

Sam pulled Dean aside.

"I know you have vamp issues," He started.  
"Vamp issues? This freak isn't even from here. She doesn't belong here."  
"And Cas has a thing for her."  
"We don't hook up with monsters. Well, you may-"  
Sam scowled, "Dean."  
"Sorry. Point is, we don't need a vamp following us around."  
"She could help us, though. Who would know a vampire better than a vampire?"  
"She knows nothing about the vampires we have here."  
"Dean,"  
"No, Sam."

When they turned around, the angel and the vampire were not there.

They glanced around to see Castiel and Marceline standing by the bathroom.  
Castiel was placing a towel around Marceline's shoulders.  
"Thanks~" She said gratefully.  
Castiel nodded.

"Cas!" Dean hissed.  
"What? She is wet. She could get sick."  
Dean rolled his eyes.  
"So, Marceline-" Sam started.  
"You can call me the Vampire Queen." She smiled.  
"Marceline. You can stay, as long as you stay out of our way."  
"Deal." She nodded.

Dean obviously wasn't happy about it, but he kept quiet.

They waited until Marceline dried off, and then started discussing the case.

"It's probably best if we split up on this one." Dean said, glancing at Castiel and Marceline.  
"Me and Dean will talk with the victim who escaped the vamp, and you two will  
check out the area where she was attacked."  
Castiel nodded.  
"Cool, sounds like a plan~" Marceline sounded giddy.  
"Alright, let's go. We'll take the Impala. You can zap places, Cas, so do that." Dean said.  
Castiel nodded, "Right."

Sam and Dean left the hotel room.

"Zap places?" Marceline asked.  
"Yes, teleportation, in a since."  
"Wouldn't you rather walk? So we can talk and stuff."

He tilted his head.  
"Talk? About what?"  
"I don't know. Life? We hardly got to know each other last time we spoke."  
"...Alright, sure. Talking. Okay."  
She laughed, "Your so cute, it's stupid."  
He didn't know how to respond, so he didn't.

The rain had let up, and the sun was setting.  
"So you play bass?" Castiel asked as they walked.  
"Yeah. Too bad I didn't bring my bass, or I would play something for you."  
"I'd like you to, sometime."  
She smiled, "Then it is settled. I'm going to write a song for you."  
"You don't need to-"  
"But I'm going to. It's how I express myself."  
He smiled softly, "I see."

Marceline pulled Castiel aside.

"You know, I haven't seriously liked a guy in a long time." She said.  
"Me either-" He blinked, "I mean, only the opposite."  
She laughed, "You're weird." she then kissed him on the lips.

Out of nowhere, there was a shriek of horror.  
Castiel turned his head away from Marceline.  
"Did you hear that?" He asked.  
She let out an irritated sigh.

He walked passed her to investigate.  
She rolled her eyes, and followed after him.

They arrived in an alleyway where there was blood spattered on the ground.

"It looks as if the vampire has been feeding again... but where is the victim?"  
"Cas-"  
"Chances are they intend on turning the victim..."  
"Cas!"  
He looked at her.  
"How do you know this has anything to do with your vamp?"  
"What else would it be? This is their feeding grounds."  
"Why is it even your problem? Dean and Sam are the hunters. Why is it your concern?"  
"Because they are my friends. I would do anything for them."  
"But risking your life to blindly chase something? That's kinda dumb."

Castiel was becoming irritated.  
"You obviously don't understand the importance of this."  
"Enlighten me." She said sarcastically.  
"We are saving people."  
"From what I can tell, you're wasting your time."

Castiel shook his head.

"What?" Marceline challenged.  
"I don't have time to waste with an immature child who can't  
see the importance of this situation." He said without emotions.  
"Immature child?! I can't believe I thought you were different!"  
"I am different. Different then the other men you have dated, that's for sure."  
Marceline hissed, "If I ever see your face again, I'll rip your throat out!"

Castiel turned away.  
What was he feeling?  
Regret?

He nodded, "Very well."  
Without saying anything else, he walked away.

Marceline felt a ping of guilt, "No, wait-"  
But it was too late.  
The angel wasn't stopping.  
He didn't even look back.

She didn't know what to do, now.  
Castiel was gone.  
Balthazar was nowhere to be found.

She was stuck.

"What's the matter, sweetheart?" A woman asked.  
Marceline spun around to face her.  
"Calm down, I'm not here to hurt you. I want to help you."  
She raised an eyebrow, "Who are you?"  
"A friend. You can call me Alena. I am a vampire, like you."

Marceline was a bit startled.

The woman stepped into the light;  
She looked like a normal human.  
She had shoulder length, blond hair and a pleasant smile.

"Prove it." Marceline challenged.  
"Alright."

She bared her human teeth.  
Marceline crossed her arms.  
Moments later, sharper, more jagged teeth came from her gums.

"...What do you want?" She asked.  
"Nothing, really. You just seemed like you were upset."  
"...I'm not."  
"I don't believe you. What's wrong? Did that man do something to you?"  
She frowned, "You saw that?"  
"I did. Are you two an item?"  
"No. He's just an annoyance."  
"Is that so? You seem pretty shaken up by him."  
"He hits pretty hard, y'know?" She murmured.  
"And by hit, I assume you mean he hurt you?"  
"Mentally, I guess, yeah."  
"Do you want to talk about it? I don't know any of your friends, so I have no one to tell."

Marceline thought about it for a moment.  
They were both vampires.  
But was this the vamp that the others were hunting for?

"I'd rather write a song about it."  
Alena smiled, "Cool, I'll help however I can."

* * *

Castiel found his way back to Dean and Sam.

When they saw him coming, Sam glanced around.  
"...Where's Marceline?" He asked.  
"I do not know." Castiel replied.  
Dean raised an eyebrow, "What do you mean, 'you don't know'? Wasn't she with you?"  
"We parted ways."  
"Why?" Sam asked, confused.  
"We had a disagreement."  
"So, an argument?"  
"No. A disagreement."  
"That's it? You're just done with her?" Dean asked with disbelief.  
"Well, she said she would rip my throat out of she ever saw me again.  
I feel like keeping my throat intact."  
"Damn, you're getting good at sarcasm." Dean murmured.

There was a silence.

"What about the real vampire?" Dean asked.  
"No trace of her." Castiel replied.  
"Yeah, that's what we got, too."  
"This one is smarter than they usually are." Sam stated.  
"Normally, they travel in groups." Castiel said.  
Dean nodded, "Weird."  
"What do you say we steak out the feeding grounds?" Sam suggested.  
Dean shrugged, "It's our best bet right now."

Castiel stifled his disapproval.

Without another word, the three headed back to the feeding grounds.

* * *

They sat in the Impala.  
No one said a word.

"I need some air." Dean finally said.  
"Alright." Sam nodded.

Dean got out of the car.

Sam looked over his shoulder at Castiel.  
"You alright?"  
Castiel looked up, "Yes, I am fine. Why do you ask?"  
"What was your and Marceline's argument about?"  
"Does it matter?"  
"So it was something stupid, then."  
Castiel didn't reply.  
"Is it really worth burning that bridge over something stupid?"

It took Castiel a moment to reply.  
"Honestly? I would take it back if I could."  
"Then why don't you?"

Before he could answer, Dean opened the driver's side door.  
"Alright, guys, let's smoke this thing out."

Sam and Castiel got out of the vehicle.

"This is about the time they feed, so now would be a good time to look."  
"Er..." Castiel started.  
"What is it?" Dean looked at him.  
"The vampire may have already fed tonight."  
"What are you talking about?"  
"When I was with Marceline. We heard screaming, and by the time we got there,  
there were only blood spatters." He shifted awkwardly.  
"Well, thanks, Cas! That would have been real helpful an hour ago!" Dean spat.  
"I apologize."  
"Let's just split up."  
Sam and Cas both nodded.

They all went their separate ways.

* * *

Alena sat on the couch in her apartment.  
Marceline stood in the center of the room, and strummed a guitar.

"I don't know, what I was thinking  
What could a gu-uy like him,  
Want with a girl like me?" She sang quietly.

"Let your feelings out." Alena grinned fiendishly.

"Just a waste of ti-ime!" She sang louder.  
"Oh, yeah, what a waste of my time!  
I guess I'm just not your type,  
But who cares,  
I don't need an angel on my shoulder.  
You're just a waste of my time, baby,  
Oh, yeah, what a waste of my time!"  
She strummed one last time, and dropped her arms to her sides.

"Feel better?" Alena asked.  
"A little."  
"Why don't we go and find him? So you can tell him how you feel?"  
"No, it's cool."  
"What's wrong? You're afraid to tell him how you feel?"  
"No, it's not that... just, I'm not really mad at him anymore."  
"Not mad at him? How can you not be mad at the man who ripped your heart out?  
The man who turned his back on you? The man who took your love, and threw it  
back in your face?"  
"I..." She quivered.  
"Come on. At least tell him what he did, seeing as he is too stupid to realize it."

Marceline swallowed.  
"Yeah, alright."  
"Great." Alena smiled.

* * *

Castiel walked down the alleyway that he and Marceline had walked through.  
He wasn't going to let his emotions impair his judgment.  
Not this time.

He heard a noise from behind.  
He spun on his heels, and drew his angel killing blade.

Two figures stood before him.  
"Hey, hot stuff." A woman growled.  
"You are not welcome here, vampire."  
"That hurt." The woman said, stepping into the light, Marceline not far behind.

Castiel frowned, "Marceline?"  
"Cas, listen-" She started.  
"Save it, kiddo. He's not interested." Alena interrupted.  
Castiel tilted his head, "So you sided with the vampire?"  
"No, Cas-"

Alena walked towards Castiel.  
"Are you and your hunter friends looking for me?"  
"We are."  
"And what are you going to do?"  
"Kill you."  
"Is that so?"

She charged at the angel.  
Castiel appeared behind her, going for her throat with his blade.  
She elbowed him, but he managed to slice her chin.

She staggered away from him, and wiped the blood from her face.  
"Close, but no dice."  
"Stop it!" Marceline hissed, but they both ignored her.

They both ran at each other.  
Alena darted around Castiel, so he spun on his heels to face her.

Before he could react, she lunged at him, going in for a kill.

She sank her razor sharp teeth into his throat, and ripped away the flesh.

"No!" Marceline shrieked.

Alena released Castiel, and spit blood on the ground.  
Castiel staggered backwards, and fell backwards.

Marceline ran to Castiel's side, and dropped to the ground beside him.  
"What have you done?!" She spat at Alena.  
"What's the matter?" She smiled, "You said you wanted to rip his throat out.  
I did it for you." She grinned, blood covering her face.

Marceline cradled Castiel's head.  
He had blood draining from his mouth and neck.  
"Why?" He asked quietly, his eyes filled with confusion.  
"I never wanted this to happen!" She cried, tears streaming down her face.  
"I was upset, but I never wanted to kill you!"  
He stared at her for a long moment.  
"I'm so sorry, Cas, I-"

Before she could finish, he got to his feet.

Marceline was in shock.

He staggered towards Alena, blood still flowing.  
Alena froze, "What... the hell?"  
"That was the last mistake you will ever make." Castiel said.  
She backed up, "That's not possible! What the hell are you?!"  
"I'm an angel of the Lord."

Marceline watched in horror.  
She had never been so terrified.

Castiel grabbed Alena by the arm, and pressed his hand against her forehead.  
"Get the hell away from me!"  
Was the last thing she uttered before light flooded from her eyes and mouth.

When Castiel let go of her, she dropped to the ground.  
The lifeless body had hollow eye sockets, and singed lips.

Marceline was at a loss for words.  
Castiel then dropped to the ground.

Marceline started to get up.

"You stay the hell away from him!" Dean spat.  
She looked to see the two boys coming up behind her.

They immediately went over to Castiel, and kneeled beside him.  
"You alright, Cas?" Dean asked, cupping his hand over Castiel's throat.  
Castiel blinked, and glanced at the two.  
"That was..." He paused, "Unpleasant."

The brothers helped him to his feet, and his neck started to heal.

Marceline jumped up, and started towards him.

"Get back, vampire." Dean threatened her with his knife.  
"I didn't do this!" She exclaimed.  
"She's telling the truth." Castiel said.  
"She had nothing to do with this? Nothing at all?" Sam asked, unconvinced.  
"She was fooled by this vampire." He motioned to the corpse.

Dean and Sam exchanged uncertain glances.

Marceline ran at Castiel, and threw her arms around him.  
"I'm sorry!" She cried.  
"I am also sorry."  
"What? Why?"  
"For all of the things I said to you."  
"Glob, Cas! I befriended a psycho who tried to kill you!"  
"I forgive you." He smiled softly.  
She let out a sigh,  
"I fell for an idiot."  
He smiled, "And I fell for a beautiful vampire."  
"Kill me now." Dean rolled his eyes.  
Sam shot him a look.

Marceline looked Castiel in the eyes, and sighed.  
"So... even after that, are we good?"  
"Yeah," He pecked her on the lips, "We're good."  
She smiled at him.

"Uh... you two should probably clean up. You're covered in blood." Sam cut in.  
Castiel looked down at himself.  
Marceline backed away, and realized that she was covered in blood.

* * *

Castiel stood over the sink, wiping blood from his mouth.  
Marceline stood behind him, "So you're really an angel, huh?"  
He looked at her through the mirror.  
"All this time, you still doubted me?"  
"I dunno. You seen too cool to be an angel."  
"Is that so?"

Sam stood in the doorway,  
"Hey, Balthazar is here."

Marceline and Castiel exchanged glances, and then headed out of the bathroom.

"Hello, Cas. Hello, vampire." Balthazar greeted them cheerfully.  
"Hello, Balthazar." Castiel nodded.  
"Enjoy your stay, dear?" He asked Marceline.  
She shrugged, "For the most part."  
"Time to go, then."

She and Castiel hugged.  
"Seriously, Cas, don't be a stranger. You can just zap to my place any time."  
"I will try-"  
"You will."  
"I will make some time to come."  
"Great~"  
She pecked him on the lips, and then turned to Sam and Dean.  
"It was nice seeing you again." Sam said.  
"Likewise~"  
Dean stared at her.  
"You're pretty cool for an over-protective dude with vamp issues." She smiled.  
He raised an eyebrow, but said nothing.

Marceline put her arm around Balthazar's shoulder.  
"Catch you later Cas. You, too, Sam and Gene." She waved.  
"Dean! My name is Dean!" He hissed.  
"Away we go, Balthy~"

He nodded, and like that, they were gone.

"Do you still disapprove of them?" Sam asked.  
"God, I still hate vampires."  
Sam and Castiel both smiled.  
"And why does she remember your name, huh?"  
"Because it is humorous when you get upset over it." Castiel answered.

Sam and Dean both stared at him.


End file.
